schep
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Announcing the unofficial, comprehensive DROD 2.0 Character Scripting Reference Guide, now available at
http://www.msu.edu/~schepler/DRODScriptRef.txt

There you will find all you ever wanted to know and more about exactly what any DROD 2.0 character script will do under any circumstances. The document goes into much deeper detail than the in-game help. It is not intended as a tutorial or introduction to scripting. Reading it in order to learn to write scripts would be something like learning C++ by reading the ANSI/ISO standard. Well, maybe a bit better than that.

Please feel free to post or PM any inaccurate information, omissions or corrections, point out any unclear wording, etc. In addition, if anybody with an official Caravel voice wants to point out behaviors documented here that are in fact bugs, or situations that have "undefined" results where we shouldn't rely on current behavior in case it changes arbitrarily in the future, I'll try to modify it to reflect those.

I might try an HTML version at some point, but it wouldn't be extremely spiffy.

[Edited by schep at Local Time:06-03-2005 at 11:39 PM: fix url tag]

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[Last edited by mrimer at 05-08-2006 10:41 PM]

eytanz
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Cool! I didn't quite understand the "wait for event" section, but this seems like a very valuable resource.

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mrimer
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Wonderful work! Thank you for taking the time to write this up.

Some fixes:
Script commands are documented in script.html, not commands.html.

Face direction: Always takes exactly one turn, even if the character is invisible, or already facing the specified direction. (This is a bug I'm fixing in 2.0.8 -- neither of these situations should halt the script, i.e. they should act as [Free].)

Appear/appear at/disappear: If the character is already visible or has no appearance type, the command has no effect and counts as a Free command. (This isn't true for Appear/Appear at -- they both act as disappear, which [Restrict]s. However, this is a bug to be fixed in 2.0.8: they should act as [Restrict] when changing visibility, otherwise [Free].)

Speech: ...or estimated as 50 milliseconds per character... (This should be 1s + 50ms/char. Additionally, here's a non-documented behavior: if subtitles are set to not be displayed when a sound clip is playing, and if a speech's delay is set to 1ms, the text is not shown even when w/o an attached sound clip. This is not a bug -- it's a special case used to split text onto two or more lines when it's too long to fit on one, but better to have a single sound clip for the entire bit, in which case, the text shouldn't show for the rogue lines.)

Set Music: (It's probably useful to mention that if, on room entrance, music is set to the type playing when the last room was exited, then that music will continue playing uninterrupted.)

I'd replace "swordsman" with "player" everywhere (for future maintenance).

"but start its script with" --> "might start its script with"

schep
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mrimer wrote:
Some fixes:

Fixed. (As before, 2.0.8 behavior is in the main text. The list of 2.0.7 bugs in the last section has grown.)

I vaguely thought that "player" means the person watching the screen and pressing keys, while "swordsman" means the ugly man in a yellow shirt, named Beethro or Tolbus or whatever, hacking through the holds. That idea has obvious problems, since the software doesn't agree with command names like "Wait while player is", and I certainly didn't use the terms very consistently either. The tricky part to fixing that stuff up will be when to use gender-inclusive language. I'll figure it out later.

mrimer
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schep wrote:
I vaguely thought that "player" means the person watching the screen and pressing keys, while "swordsman" means the ugly man in a yellow shirt, named Beethro or Tolbus or whatever, hacking through the holds.

Yes, this is one way to think of it. Maybe "hero" is a less confusing word. However, swordsman will work for now.

schep
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Posted a new version.

Mostly it's just minor tweaks and updates for 2.0.8/2.0.9. I did add a chart of the order of event phases, since that particular paragraph is a slight mess. The player/swordsman issues are still messed up, so maybe I won't figure it out later.

mrimer
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FYI: I'm adding an NPC scripting event check for the player swinging his sword. Currently, it can be done by using two "Wait for player to face <clockwise>" and "...<counter-clockwise>" checks, but in 2.0.11 this check will be possible with a single query command "Wait for event <player swings sword>".

mrimer
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silver found a typo in the scripting guide, where it says

When it is convenient to use one sound file and two caption lines, setting the second Speech command to 1 ms with no sound file will be useful.

Second should read first.

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[Last edited by mrimer at 06-23-2006 02:43 PM]

schep
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mrimer wrote:
silver found a typo in the scripting

You mean thinko. Fixed. And this reminds me to look into those 2.0.11 changes you mentioned.

schep
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Oh yeah, 2.0.11 announcement. Isn't that update timely.

With better timing, updated for 2.0.15. In particular, described the new behavior of "Wait 0 turn(s)". Also a minor edit for the thing about stabbing golems. And now that the editor won't allow duplicate labels, I removed the part explaining that they're just a bad idea.

The link again.

Can I get clarification on whether I explained the Strike Orb At issue correctly? It looks like there's no change in script execution between 2.0.8 and 2.0.15, we're just warned that if there's no orb at the square, 3.* will act differently.

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[Last edited by schep at 02-27-2007 02:18 AM]

mrimer
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schep wrote:
Can I get clarification on whether I explained the Strike Orb At issue correctly? It looks like there's no change in script execution between 2.0.8 and 2.0.15, we're just warned that if there's no orb at the square, 3.* will act differently.

That's right -- 2.0.15 hasn't changed how this script command is handled. The change will be in 3.*

Mike

Casebier
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So how soon before DROD 3.0 stuff is documented? I'm trying to get an NPC to construct a bridge, but the only thing it does is make the area show the bridge fading in and out.

I'm also trying to figure out what the two new things eyes are supposed to be able to do, but I can't find anything new, unless the mirrors are one of those things.

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coppro
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Casebier wrote:
So how soon before DROD 3.0 stuff is documented? I'm trying to get an NPC to construct a bridge, but the only thing it does is make the area show the bridge fading in and out.

I'm also trying to figure out what the two new things eyes are supposed to be able to do, but I can't find anything new, unless the mirrors are one of those things.

Warning: spoilers:

schep
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Please note that I did the 2.0 guide unofficially after I'd been playing with it for a while. I have no idea if anybody from the Caravel team or beta testers is already planning some comprehensive document. Be sure to check the in-game Help files for now, of course.

I'd be willing to do this sort of thing again, but only after I'm most of the way through the full TCB. So probably a couple of months, unless somebody else acts sooner.

Syntax
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Will there be an official scripting guide for 3.x?
The 2.0 guide was excellent...

Someone Else
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I, as Scriptmaster, have begun this project.

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[Last edited by Someone Else at 10-01-2007 07:13 AM]

Sillyman
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Woo! It's good to see my (soon to be) bureaucratic good twin get something done!

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Kallor
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Just something I came up with:

To take the sign (+1,-1 or 0) of a given variable x, do the following.
1. Set y=x.
2. If y=0 skip numbers 3 and 4.
3. Set y = 2y+1 (to make it odd).
4. Set y % 2.
5. Now y = sign(x).

This could be useful sometimes, I hope someone needs it

-Kallor

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zex20913
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These links are down. I was looking for some scripting aids. As such, we should either unsticky this, or relink.

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Syntax
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I believe they're fixed. Works for me...

Casebier
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Guide no longer available. I'm thinking he no longer goes to that college.

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Casebier
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Ack, sorry for resurrecting the thread. I was just following a link from a stickied post.

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Revisiting old Project: ZelDROD 1 / ZelDROD RPG (If I can ever find the custom graphic files that I made for it.)

schep
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Oh yeah, I guess that was hosted there. MSU was generous with extending old accounts for years, but finally decided to put a limit on it. Hmmmm...

Dreadcog
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Hi Everyone,

I was wondering if there is a new link for the Scripting Guide?

Thanks.

mrimer
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I don't think I have a copy, even if it's an older one. If anyone else does, would you please post it here?

Dreadcog
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Thanks for trying. I guess I missed out.

Tim
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Well, there's still the old one on some old site :

http://forum.caravelgames.com/site/scripting

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Dreadcog
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Thanks so much!!! Are there any updated commands I should know or is it fine for scripting?

mrimer
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Thanks, Tim! You'd be a good archivist.

schep
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File: DRODScriptRef.txt (32.5 KB)
Downloaded 144 times.
License: Creative Commons
4.0 International

Found it.

Note it's still just the JtRH engine.

Caravel Games may use this file in any way they like. The CC license is for anyone else.

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[Last edited by schep at 02-19-2014 04:16 AM]